Their Lives Before
by Rom12.2-2Cor4.6
Summary: We all know the stories of the Keybearers, but what happened before that? What are Terra, Ven, and Aqua's origins? What about Sora, Riku, and Kairi? How bout we find out... WARNING! CONTAINS MASSIVE FEELS! Rated T for violence in later chapters
1. Chapter 1

Hi me again! I decided to put up a story telling the origins of the main KH characters. The order will go Ven, Aqua, Terra, Kairi, Sora, Riku, and Lea. There will be violence in some chapters and the feels will be at an all-time high. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

I own nothing except my OC's:

Levi Kumo, Marion Kumo, Isaac Mizu, Talitha Mizu, Kaname Mae, Rimi Mae, Asher Tsuchi, Artemis Tsuchi, Kikyo Tsuchi, Archer Petra, Drusilla Petra, Tamara Petra, Abigail Petra, Rebecca Maris, and John Maris.

**Chapter 1: Unloved and Unwanted (Ventus's story)**

"I'm sorry; we like the boy but I don't think he fits into our family very well." The blonde boy was led away from yet another family.

"I'm sorry Ventus," the social worker, Miss. Kana put a hand on his shoulder, "We can try again; there are a number of families that are looking to take you in, I'm sure we'll find one that will stick."

Ventus sniffled; this was the fifth family in the last two months that had sent him back to the orphanage. He was only seven years old and no family had ever expressed interest in him.

Miss. Kana led the boy through the gates of Tech Town Home for Boys. The directors, Mr. and Mrs. Derisory opened the door, giving the boy a look of disapproval. "Again?"

"Yes… the Avery's just couldn't care for him. I have another family he could try next week."

"That's wonderful…" Mrs. Derisory led Ventus inside. "Go to the office, Ventus." He obeyed; Mr. Derisory soon joined his wife in the office with the boy.

"What happened?"

"I don't know… I thought they liked me…"

The man growled, "Well they didn't! You're the weakest, most pathetic child I've ever seen! No one likes you; we don't like you, the other boys don't like you, no families like you, not even your own parents liked you!"

Ventus began to cry. "I know…" He stood and walked out. He went outside and sat down under a tree and sobbed.

"Hey Venny!" A bigger boy named James came nearer. "So… they sent you back again…"

His friend, Gabriel, grabbed the blonde by his shirt collar, "Well, who would want this wimp anyway?" He threw Ventus against the tree. "All he's good for is a punching bag for us. Now stand still shorty!"

"Stop!" Ventus cowered against the tree as the two older boys pummeled him with their fists. They finally tired of their game and left a bloody-nosed Ventus lying there. "No one wants me… no one cares about me… not even my parents…"

He walked up to the attic, where he slept; it was his only refuge from the others. "If my parents wanted me they wouldn't have left me…" He collapsed on his cot and cried thinking of his origins. All he or anyone knew was that his mom left him on the stairs of this very home when he was two days old. Ever since then, he had never belonged anywhere. "Please, come find me…" He pulled a drawing out of his pocket. It was a poorly drawn picture, but it made him happy. There were three stick figures; one was smaller than the others with spikey blonde hair, it was him. The other figures were a man with hair like his and a woman with curly blonde hair. Written in scribbly handwriting was the sentence, 'me with my mommy and daddy'.

Ventus looked at it and began to cry harder. He knew it was no use wishing… no family would ever want him; he would never have a mommy or daddy.

* * *

That night, Ventus skipped dinner. He stared out the attic window sadly. Finally he made up his mind. He put his only other pair of clothes and the picture in a small bag; the boy grabbed the blanket off his cot and snuck downstairs.

Just his luck, it was beginning to snow; the boy went out the back door, taking great care to close it quietly, and ran. He ran and ran, trying to get as far away from that evil home as possible.

* * *

The snow fell harder and harder as he fled. Finally the boy stopped running; he was far enough out of town, that there were no buildings or people, only trees. Ventus crouched down under some thick low-hanging branches and covered himself with the blanket.

"I'm just gonna stay here and die…" He cried quietly.

"Who's there?" A voice called out in the dark. Ventus grew silent. Again the voice called out, "Come out… I know you're here!" The boy came out from under the branches and saw a hooded figure in black. The figure removed his hood and Ventus saw a tanned man with golden eyes and long silver hair. "Boy, what are you doing out here?" The blonde didn't answer. "It's too cold to be out here, especially alone. Why don't you go home to your family?"

"What family…? What home…?"

The man raised an eyebrow. "You don't have a home?"

The boy shook his head sadly, "I was abandoned at two days old; I don't have anyone. I ran away from the orphanage, and I was just gonna sit here and die…"

The man looked at the ragged boy; something about him stood out. "What is your name?"

"Ventus…"

"Well Ventus, maybe I can help you and you can help me." The caught the blonde's attention. "I am in need of a new student to teach and you're in need of a home. Maybe, you can come and learn to wield a Keyblade from me and I can give you a home; what do you say to that?"

"Ya mean it?"

"I do…"

The boy charged forward and hugged the man, "Oh thank you! Thank you! How can I ever repay you?" "You don't need to," the man replied, but he was thinking otherwise. "_This boy could be the one_…" He took Ventus's hand "Come, let me take you to your new home…"

As they walked, Ventus looked up at his new teacher with his big blue eyes and asked, "What do I call you sir?"

"You may call me… Master Xehanort."

For those of you who read Final Stand you might remember me mentioning this in Devil's Bayou. I know it's sad, I nearly cried while writing it.

Please review!

Next time...

**Fire and Fury (Aqua's story)**


	2. Chapter 2

Hi guys! Sorry this took so long...

I must let you know that every chapter but one in this story will be sad.

I would like to thank KingdomFlyRunner, Rhyme13kh14Xion8, SilverBird22, and tmp1114 for following; also, KingdomFlyRunner, Rhyme13kh14Xion8, tmp1114, YamiChaos27, and sailorsenshi13 for favoriting!

Now for Aqua's story!

I own nothing in this chapter but Rebecca and John Maris!

* * *

**Chapter 2: Fire and Fury**

* * *

The cold harsh winter blew over the small world of Hazy Hamlet; it was the coldest and snowiest winter in almost 20 years. Outside the walls of the capitol city, the wind beat against one of many tiny little shacks.

Inside one huddled a 7 year old girl. Her cerulean hair hung down around her thin, pale face and her ragged dress barely clung to her emaciated form. She was much smaller than she should be for her age. She may have been 7 but her body was that of a five year old.

A woman with hair of the same color came over to her and draped a thin blanket over the girl's shoulders. "There you go, Aqua. That should warm you up a little bit; I'm going to get some more wood for the fire." The woman bundled up and walked out into the snow. She came back a minute later with four little logs.

"Mother," Aqua asked, "when will Father be back?"

"I don't know, the line to pay taxes is always long." Her mother put the logs in the small fire, causing it to flare up a bit more. "But, he'll come back soon."

As if on cue, the door opened. A man walked in; he shook the snow out of his navy hair and undid his scarf. "Rebecca, Aqua, I'm home!"

"John!"

"Father!"

John Maris took his wife and daughter into his arms. Rebecca kissed her husband, "Oh honey, I'm so glad you got out of that weather alright. You must be starving; we have a little bread and cheese left, I could…"

"I've got this, Becky." He set a box down on the table and opened it. The two girls gasped; inside was a large pie. "I thought we'd have something special."

"Oh Father! Thank you!" Aqua hugged her father and sat on her stool. John cut her a piece and gave it to the girl.

Rebecca grabbed John and pulled him to a far corner of the house. "John, we can barely afford to buy bread; how did you afford a pie?"

"Becky, that pie is every cent we owned. When I went to pay the taxes I was short 2 gil; they ordered me home."

Rebecca began to tear up. "That means…"

"I'm sorry Rebecca… I thought I had enough. So, I wanted us, just this once, to have a decent meal… before we die." His eyes drifted over to his young daughter, happily eating away at her pie. "It must be nice, not to have a care in the world. Our little girl is oblivious to every evil around her and I want it to stay that way."

"We could send her to another house, she can run! There must be something we can do to save her life!" Rebecca clutched her husband in panic.

John shook his head. "The cold would kill her if the soldiers don't find her first. They'll make sure that our entire family is here before they kill us; if one person is missing they won't stop till they hunt them down. If that happens, we'll be tortured, along with Aqua, before we're killed." His wife began to cry. "I'm sorry Rebecca…" He lifted her chin up to his face and kissed her, "Now come on, let's spend our last moments with our little girl."

The two went over to the table and began eating. Aqua looked at them; she wasn't as oblivious as they though and she knew that something bad was going to happen.

* * *

The snow had ceased and the small family had finished the best meal they had ever eaten. Suddenly, there were voices outside. A man's voice yelled out. "JOHN MARIS HAS FAILED TO PAY TAXES TO OUR KING; OUR LAWS DECREE THAT HE, AND EVERY MEMBER OF HIS FAMILY MUST DIE!" Cheers rang out from the crowd.

Rebecca pulled her daughter close, "It'll be fine, Aqua…" Her voice was shaky and tears streamed down her cheeks.

There was a banging noise as bundles of wood were thrust against the small house. There was a moment of silence before the air filled with the crackling of fire. John grabbed a small cloth and handed it to his daughter. "Aqua," he brought her to the furthest corner of the house, "put this over your mouth. Stay here, everything will be fine."

"We're gonna die, aren't we?" The girl's eyes pleaded for the truth.

"I'm sorry…" Her father turned from her and went to his wife.

The flames appeared, licking at the thin walls. Rebecca and John used blanket to beat out whatever fires appeared on the house floor but it was no use. The fire hit the roof; a beam fell, crushing Rebecca underneath it. "BECKY!" John rushed to her, but not before another beam fell, crushing him. His last thought was, "I'm sorry, I failed you, Rebecca… Aqua…"

Aqua curled up in the corner as the house fell to pieces around her. Fear filled her and she did the only thing she could… scream.

* * *

With the snow finally letting up, the two men left the inn they had been staying in. One man had dark hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, and the other had darker skin and silver hair that hung down his back.

The man with dark hair noticed an orange glow in the distance. "Xehanort," he asked his companion, "what do you think that is?"

"Well Eraqus, it looks like a fire."

Eraqus quickened his pace until he could see the small home ablaze. "What could've happened?" Before his friend could answer, a young girl's scream pierced the still air. "No!" Eraqus rushed forward, breaking down what was left of the door.

On the floor were two bodies, a man and a woman; he looked up and in the corner was a small girl, still alive. He ran over, "Don't worry, I'm here to help." Eraqus picked up the child and rushed towards the door. A portion of the roof fell, blocking that exit; there was a single window in the house. Eraqus jumped out the window, rolling through the snow.

"Eraqus! Are you crazy!?" Xehanort ran over to him, "One of these days, you're going to get yourself kills with all these stunts."

"I had to, I couldn't let her die." He looked down at the unconscious child in his arms. Xehanort knelt down and got a good look at the girl. "She seems alright."

"Excuse me…" A voice behind them said. It was a soldier. "Is that child from the house?"

"Yes…"

The man approached, "If she is alive, hand her over."

Eraqus didn't like the tone of this man. "What has she done?"

"Not her, her father. Our laws state if a man is not able to pay taxes, his entire family must pay the penalty of death." He pointed to the girl, "That includes children."

"Well," Xehanort lied, "she died just before my friend reached her. Your laws have been appeased."

"How do I know you aren't lying?"

Xehanort summoned his Keyblade and showed it to the man. "Here is your proof."

The man paled and bowed, "My apologies! I overstepped…"

"Not at all," the silver-haired man's golden eyes flashed, "You were just doing your duty." The soldier gave one more bow and left.

"Xehanort," Eraqus's brow furrowed, "I'm glad you saved the child, but lying was not necessary and using your authority to deceive is definitely not."

"Don't lecture me, Eraqus. Let's just get the child to safety."

* * *

(Hours later)

Aqua's eyes fluttered open. She was lying in a comfortable bed with thick quilted bed sheets. On the nightstand next to her was a light blue shirt, black pants, and white boots.

The door to the room opened and a man walked in, "Ah, you're awake!"

"Who are you? Where am I?"

The girl tried to sit up but the man came over and gently pushed her back to a lying position. "You're in no condition to be sitting up right now. Now, to answer your questions, you are in the Misty Inn and I am Keyblade Master Eraqus."

"Where are my Mother and Father?"

"I'm sorry, little one but your parents are dead. Now, what is your name?"

The child lowered her head in sorrow. Her voice was quiet, "I'm Aqua Bethany Maris."

"Aqua," Eraqus's voice was serious, "you are in danger. If it is discovered that you are alive, they could hunt you down. I can protect you…"

The door opened again and Xehanort came in carrying a bowl of soup. "Eraqus, we must… oh, she's awake."

"Aqua, this is my fellow Keyblade Master, Xehanort."

The girl gave a small wave. "Hello…"

Xehanort set the soup down and leaned on the wall. "Can you feel it, my friend? She has a strong heart, do you think she could wield it? If she could, then they cannot kill her without breaking a law of their first king."

The girl didn't like this other man; she got a bad vibe off him. What caught her attention was what she could wield. "What are you talking about?"

Eraqus stood up and held out his hand; in a flash of light appeared his Keyblade, Master Keeper. "This is called a Keyblade. If you have a strong heart you might be able to wield it. Would you like to?"

"Yes sir…"

He held out the handle towards the girl. The Keyblade Master smiled and said, "In your hand take this key, and as long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be made."

The little girl reached out and took the handle in her small hand. "What do I do now?"

"You're weak and hungry, so you can have something to eat first." Eraqus pointed to a small room to her left. "Then you can clean yourself up in the washroom; these clothes are for you to wear. They will set you apart as my apprentice and keep the guards from harming you."

Aqua nodded, "Yes… Master…" Xehanort left the room. Aqua asked many questions concerning where they would go, when she would get this 'Keyblade', and what did it mean if he was her Master?

"Calm down, little one…" Eraqus lifted the girl's head up, leaning her against the back of the bed. Slowly he fed her spoonful after spoonful of the soup, brought to them by the other Keyblader.

Once finished, Eraqus left her alone to clean up and change. Aqua had never had a proper bath before and it felt wonderful to her. She felt fresh and anew as she put on the new garb, set aside for her. Her eyes glimmered as she looked at herself in a closet door mirror. The white boots and black pants which had a little pink belt around the waist; her light blue shirt had a white X on it with a heart-shaped symbol in the center.

She opened the door and went outside. Eraqus smiled at her, "That's much better!" He reached over and picked up a hairbrush; the man brushed her shoulder-length cerulean hair until it was tame.

"Master… what happens now?"

"I'm going to take you to your new home… where you'll be safe."

Aqua suddenly jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Thank you… Master!"

* * *

So Aqua becomes Eraqus's apprentice!

Please review!

Next time... **Father or Not (Terra's story)**


	3. Chapter 3

Hey! Me again! I know I'm getting faster… I had to put _Transformers Legacy _on Hiatus to do so, but I'm faster.

I got a lot of response on the last chapter and I thank you for that. Let me just say: That world, Hazy Hamlet will return (It's actually in this chapter). Also, Xehanort's deception was only because he thought that Aqua could help his future plans.

I hope you guys are ready!

I would like to thank KHLegacy and HikariAngelica for favoriting.

I own nothing except for Drusilla, Abigail, Tamara, and Archer Petra.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Father or Not**

"You ungrateful little wretch! Get out of this house!"

"I don't have to! You're not my real Mom!"

"Well then I'll throw you out!" The house door opened and someone shoved a boy out the door and to the ground.

A little girl sitting on the front lawn pointed at the boy and mocked, "Terra's in trouble! Terra's in trouble!"

Terra stood, brushing himself off, "And you're not my real sister!" He looked back at the house where he had spent his whole life, and hated it. In a fury, he stomped off.

The world of Hazy Hamlet was so quiet, the calm before the storm. Summer was over and winter was coming. The cool breeze ruffled his brown hair as he walked.

He went towards the park and sat down on a bench; nearby was a woman with hair the same color as his. She looked over and gave him a sad smile; Terra waved to her and she waved back. A soldier swiftly stepped between them, glaring at the woman who left in a hurry.

As the soldier's eyes turned to him, Terra looked down and pretended to be interested in his shoes.

"Hi there!" He looked up and before him stood a young girl. She had cerulean hair that fell a little ways past her shoulders, bright blue eyes, and was dressed in the most colorful clothes Terra had ever seen. "What's your name?"

"I'm Terra…"

"Nice to meet you Terra; my name is Aqua!"

The girl's cheeriness brought him out of his stupor. "You're not from around her, are you?"

"I used to be, but not anymore." Her eyes grew sad but it soon faded, "I'm the apprentice of Keyblade Master Eraqus!"

"Eraqus! Really?!"

She nodded. Terra tried not to look too jealous but she noticed, "He's nice, but kinda strict and his training in pretty hard."

"How old are you, Aqua?"

I'm nine. How old are you?"

"Eleven." Terra gave her a smile; she was so friendly.

"Aqua!" The two children looked over and saw Master Eraqus, "Come here, please!"

"Coming Master! Sorry, I've gotta go… it was nice meeting you!" She dashed off to her Master.

Terra waved, "It was nice to meet you too!" He watched as the two made their way out of sight. In a split-second decision, Terra decided to follow them. He ran after them but stopped when he saw Master Eraqus going into the town courthouse, leaving his apprentice outside.

Aqua spotted him, "Hi again!"

"Hello…"

"Why are you out here alone?" Aqua cocked her head in question, "shouldn't your parents be with you?"

"If you could call them parents…"

"Huh?"

Terra didn't like talking about it, but this girl seemed so nice, he couldn't help sharing his story with her. "When I was little my Mother and Father split up; my Father hated me but let me come over on the weekends." He looked up and saw Aqua listening intently. "My Father got remarried to this rich lady named Drusilla. Drusilla had a daughter too, her name is Abigail. My Mother was so nice to Drusilla, even though my step-mother was mean."

"Your Mother sounds nice."

"She was," Terra closed his eyes, "Drusilla wanted my Mother to be angry but my Mother refused to get angry. Drusilla was so mad that she used her influence to get my Mother arrested. She said my Mother was starving me and hitting me; it was all a lie. She won and I'm never allowed to be with my Mother again. Instead, I have to live in a house with people who hate me…"

"That's so wrong!"

"Yea…" he kicked some dirt under his feet, "What about you?"

Aqua lowered her head, "Master Eraqus doesn't like me talking about it… but, I'll tell you. Two years ago, I lived here. My Father couldn't pay the taxes and you know what happens then."

"I know," Terra lowered his head. He knew what happened to those who couldn't pay; his family had always been fairly wealthy and never had any trouble with the taxes.

"Master Eraqus rescued me and now the soldiers can't touch me. Since I'm a Keyblade apprentice, it's against the law to arrest or harm me. That's one of the reasons he took me under his teachings, to protect me."

"That sounds nice… to have someone looking out for you." He looked up at the large clock on the courthouse bell tower. "It's getting late. I need to get back before Drusilla gets mad again. If I'm not home before dinner, Drusilla will make me sleep outside."

Aqua looked at him with sympathy, "Ok, well bye…"

"Bye…" Terra didn't want to leave; she was the nicest person he had ever met, besides his birth mom.

* * *

He walked slowly away from the courthouse, back towards his home. Suddenly, Aqua's voice cried out, "Hey! Let me go! Leave me alone!"

Terra ran back to the courthouse and stopped. Standing there were the three resident bullies, Jim, Rick, and Matt. The three boys picked on anyone younger than them, whether they knew them or not. Jim, the oldest boy, was holding Aqua up by her shirt collar. Terra ran at them, "Hey! Put her down!"

"Well, well, looks like 'dirt boy' is trying to be a hero."

Terra clenched his fists and snarled, "Put her down now!" The boys laughed; Terra's eyes drifted over and saw a man with bright blue eyes and dark brown hair standing on the courthouse steps, watching and allowing this situation to continue.

"You better do what he says!" Aqua threatened, "If my Master comes out here and sees this, he's gonna kick your butts!"

"Oh really… I'd like to see him try." He tossed the girl into Terra, sending them both sprawling to the ground.

The boy helped Aqua to her feet. "You're a Keyblade apprentice, can't you summon your sword or something?"

"I'm still learning to summon it; sometimes it comes and sometimes it won't. It's not coming right now!"

"Really?"

Matt came over with an evil smirk, "Go back where you belong… in the dirt!" He kicked Terra and stepped on him, pushing his face into the dirt. As the older boy backed off, Aqua helped her friend up. "Now it's your turn, girly."

His foot rose up to kick the girl; Terra jumped in front of her, "NO!" Between him and the bully, a bright light erupted forth.

Just as Matt tried to kick Aqua, Master Eraqus and several political officials came outside. They saw the light shine out. As it faded Eraqus ran towards the children. "Aqua!" He stopped short. "Oh…"

Terra stood over Aqua and in his hands was a large Keyblade. Matt was hopping on one foot because kicking the sword hurt him. "Huh… is this a…?"

"Terra!" Aqua hugged him, "thank you!" She noticed the sword. "You've got a Keyblade!"

"Son, what is your name?" Eraqus knelt down to the boy.

"Terra… Terra Zenos Petra."

"I must thank you for saving my student." His eyes drifted over to the Keyblade, "It seems you have a strong heart young man."

"Thank you sir!"

Eraqus looked over at the political officials nearby. "I trust that these boys who attacked my student will receive due punishment, but nothing too severe."

"Of course…"

"Hm…" the Keyblade Master looked at the dark haired man standing nearby. "Sir how long have you been here?"

"He was here the entire time, and didn't do anything." Aqua glared at the man.

Eraqus stood up and went over to the man, "Why did you not assist my student and the boy?"

"Yes… why didn't you help us, FATHER?!"

"He's your Father?" Aqua was stunned.

"Terra is your son?" Eraqus grew angry, "Why didn't you help?"

The man didn't even look at his son, "I didn't know the girl and I don't care about Terra."

"He's your son!"

"So… he only lives in my house because my wife and I want to make my ex miserable." He pulled out a cigar and lit it. "Otherwise he be living with her."

Eraqus stepped back to help prevent himself from hitting this man. "You truly don't care about him…" He turned to the boy, who was close to tears. "Terra, you have a Keyblade; would you want to come and train with me?"

"Yes sir…" Terra glared at his father, "I would be glad to come!"

"Take him…"

Everyone glared at Terra's father; how could someone treat their own son like this? Eraqus was fed up with this man. "Come with me, Terra, I will look after you."

"WAIT!" Everyone turned; a woman ran over towards Terra.

"Tamara!" Terra's father cut her off from the boy. "You know what the court said; you are not allowed to see our son!"

Tamara clenched her fists, "Our son! I care for him more than you do, Archer! He's about to leave! I just want one more chance to see Terra… that's all I want!"

"Miss. Tamara," one of the political officials approached, "I believe we can make an exception in your sentence. You may see your son now and any time he comes back to visit."

Archer growled, "No! She cannot be allowed to…"

"This is more important than revenge on your ex-wife." Eraqus pushed Archer aside, allowing Tamara access to Terra. "Go on… he is your son."

Tamara timidly went to her son. Terra wrapped his arms around her lovingly. "Mother… I'm gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you too." She kissed her son's cheek, "You better come and visit me once in a while."

"I will, Mother."

The mother looked at Eraqus, "Please take care of him. He's the only thing that keeps me going."

"Do not worry, I will care for him as if he were my own."

"Thank you…" Once more she kissed her son's cheek, salt from his and her tears staying on her lips. "Goodbye, Terra…"

"Goodbye Mother…"

The two separated; Aqua took Terra's hand kindly. "Come, you two," Eraqus motioned to the young children, "we will go home."

As they walked Aqua glanced back, "Terra… aren't you going to say goodbye to your Father?"

Terra's voice rose, loud enough so that Archer could hear him, "I have no father…"

* * *

Another chapter is finished. I've always wondered about Terra's family; if he already has a father, and then he calls Eraqus his father…. How would that work? Here's what I thought.

Yes, this does take place in the same world as Aqua's story.

Please review!

Next time… **The Flowers Fade (Kairi's story)**


	4. Chapter 4

Hi guys! I hope you guys are having a wonderful Easter weekend!

Now… you ready for this?

I would like to thank KHgamergeekgirl and Nintendoman01 for following and favoriting!

I own nothing except my OC's:

Kaname and Rimi Mae.

* * *

**The Flowers Fade**

Ansem the Wise sat in his laboratory, going over reports when the door opened. Before he could react a little child had already come over and leapt into his lap. "Morning Uncle Ansem!"

"Good morning, Kairi." He smiled down at his crimson-haired great niece.

"Good morning, Uncle." He looked up and saw Kairi's mother, Rimi Mae standing nearby. Her indigo eyes glittered as she watched her daughter's happy antics.

Ansem smiled, "Is there anything you need, dear?"

"I have to do something this morning I was wondering if you could get her friend to keep an eye on her." Rimi smiled sheepishly.

"Of course my dear, I'm glad to be of help."

The woman smiled, "Thank you, Uncle!" She kissed her daughter on the forehead and left.

"Uncle Ansem, if Fire Boy coming?"

"Yes he is!" Ansem looked at the clock, "He should be here in a few minutes."

Kairi sat in his lap, staring at the door. In a few minutes, it opened and a boy came inside. "Fire Boy!"

The boy smiled at the girl, his green eyes shining! "Hey there, Flower Girl!" He went over and ruffled her hair. "Master Ansem, you want me to watch her, don't you?"

"Of course, Lea! You are her best friend, after all."

Kairi jumped down and hugged Lea's legs. "Yea, best friend, let's go play!"

"Ok then!" Lea picked the girl up and set her on his shoulders. "Later, Master Ansem!" He left, carrying the little girl on his shoulders. As he walked, the child fiddled with his fiery red hair.

"Can we get ice cream, Lea?"

"Sure…" the boy bumped into someone. He looked up and saw a man with silver hair. "Uh, hi Xehanort…"

The man didn't answer but stared at the little girl on the boy's shoulders. Kairi wilted under his stare; something about him just didn't register properly. He walked around them, heading for Ansem's study. "I don't like him…"

"He's just a little stern, that's all." He went outside with the girl and towards town.

"Lea!" A strong voice called. The boy turned around.

Kairi smiled, "Daddy!"

Approaching was a man in a Radiant Garden captain uniform, Kaname Mae. "Hello, you two heading into town?"

"Yes, sir," Lea gave him a smile.

"I'm sorry you had to give up your Saturday, but my Mother had a doctor's appointment."

"It's fine! I like hanging with Kairi. She's a lot of fun! Sometimes even Miss. Sakura lets me come over and play with her."

Kairi smiled, "Grandma Sakura likes Lea!"

"I'm sure she does," Kaname handed Lea some munny, "this is for the ice cream I know ya'll will get."

"Thank you sir!" Kaname gave them one last smile before returning to his duties.

The two friends went into the town Mr. Scrooge McDuck gave them a warm welcome. "Well, if it isn't my two favorite customers. Don't you both look hail and hearty!"

"Can we have some ice cream Mr. Scrooge?"

"Why of course lassie!" He smiled happily at them, "What kind would you like?"

Lea didn't even hesitate, "Sea salt please!"

"Of course lad," the duck reached down and pulled up a light blue ice cream bar. "Here you are. And what for you, ya wee lass?"

"Flower-berry!"

He reached down again and pulled up a pink ice cream bar with a yellow flower with a blue center on it. "Here ya are lassie!"

"Thank you!" The duo walked into the gardens laughing and joking. It was a normal sight to see the two red-heads hanging out together.

* * *

(That Evening)

Rimi and Kaname sat across from Ansem talking when the door opened. Lea walked inside with Kairi riding piggyback; the little girl was sound asleep. "Hi everybody."

"What'd ya do to tire her out so much?"

"Not my fault," he smiled, "she insisted on playing hide-and-seek, dragon fighter, and her favorite, tag. After ten rounds of hide-and-seek, four rounds of dragon fighter, and seven rounds of tag she tired herself out."

Kaname took the girl from Lea and smoothed her crimson hair. "Lea, thank you for watching her."

"No problem!" He turned and walked out of the lab.

The father looked at his wife, "Rimi, I'll put her to bed." He walked out of the lab and up some stairs to where the apartment for the Mae family. The girl's room was softly lit as he laid her in the bed. "Goodnight, sweetheart." He kissed her forehead and left.

* * *

(Later that Night)

Kairi tossed and turned restlessly in her sleep. Darkness clouded her dream and seemed to surround her; when it closed in all the more, she woke up. She panted, her eyes full of fear. The feeling of darkness had not left even though she was now awake.

Her bedroom door slammed open and Rimi ran in. "Mommy?" The woman scooped the child up in her arms. "What's wrong?"

"It's gonna be alright…" Suddenly a black creature with glowing golden eyes rose up out of the floor. "KANAME!" Her husband burst into the room, brandishing his long Katana, Dawn's Might. He slashed the creature to ribbons.

"Come on," He grabbed his wife's hand and pulled her after him. The hallway was filled with the same black creatures. "Stay close!" He attacked the creatures while his wife carried their daughter behind him.

As they continued, the creatures changed; they grew bigger and got stronger. A black monster that stood about three feet up dodged Kaname's strike and caught his head. "Kaname!" As blood trickled down his face, he turned and smiled slightly, "I'm alright…"

He continued to lead them down through the castle. One of the monsters appeared behind the father. It slashed with its claws and caught Rimi on her side. "Ahh!" She screamed in pain and fell to her knees. Her husband destroyed the monster and helped Rimi to her feet.

"Mommy, are you ok?"

Rimi forced a smile but her hand clasped the wound as blood poured out. "I'm fine sweetie…"

The trio ran into an open area with only one exit. Rimi's wound bled profusely as she set her child down. Kairi's eyes stared up into her mother's and father's. "Are we gonna be ok?"

"You'll be fine…"

"That's not what I asked…" The little girl was smarter than expected.

Her father put a hand on her chin, "Kairi… I need you to be very brave." He locked eyes with his wife and the two shared a silent understanding. "Go on and run ahead, we'll be right behind you." The girl didn't move. "Kairi, please do this for us. We don't want you to get hurt."

"Yes Daddy…" the child took a few steps away and went into the only exit from the room.

Rimi held up her hand and cast a barrier spell; sealing her daughter in the corridor away from them. "I'm sorry, darling."

"Mommy! Daddy!" The girl pressed her hands against the barrier. "Don't leave me!"

"I'm sorry…" her mother turned back towards her husband. As she turned, one of the monsters launched an attack that caught her on the top of her forehead; blood poured down her face, blinding her.

"MOMMY! DADDY!" Suddenly a hand grabbed her arm. "AHH!" She struggled against her assailant.

The person tried to calm her down. "Hey, hey, it's alright! Flower Girl!" At those words she stopped and looked up; it was Lea. He looked up and saw her injured mother and her father battling the creatures. "Mrs. Mae!" Rimi wiped the blood from her eyes and looked back, smiling when she saw the boy. "I'll get your daughter outta here. Don't worry…"

"Lea," Kaname called back, "you better keep her safe."

"I will." He picked her up, "I'll keep you safe, Kairi." The child screamed for her parents as Lea carried her to safety.

He ran along, the girl weeping in his arms. "I want to go back… I want my Mommy and Daddy!"

"They'll be fine…" he lied, knowing her parents probably wouldn't survive… unless he possibly helped. At the end of the hall was an elderly woman. "Miss. Sakura!"

"Grandma!"

The woman gasped, "Lea! You have Kairi!"

"Yes, but her parents are possibly in danger." He handed the child to her, "I'm going to go back and try and help them."

"No! Fire Boy, don't go! Please don't leave… I'm scared… my parents will be coming soon, so you don't have to go… please stay." Kairi began to cry.

"Miss. Sakura," Lea hated to do this, "I'll try and get her parents back." With that he ran off and was gone.

"FIRE BOY! LEA!"

"It'll be alright, darling." The older woman set the girl down and took her hand, "We just need to get out of here." The two ran down the hallway, considering the ages of the two, one really old and the other really young, they could not run very fast.

Surprisingly, the two reached the bottom floor of the castle. Kairi saw the exit ahead, "Grandma! We're almost there!" She let go of her grandmother's hand and ran ahead. A scream of pain behind her, caused her to stop in her tracks and turn around. "GRANDMA!"

Her grandmother was on the ground, a dark sword sticking out of her back. The person wielding the sword stood over the woman. His golden eyes looked up from his kill to the small child nearby. "Princess… it is an honor."

"GRANDMA!" Kairi cried as she looked upon her dead grandmother. Her eyes, full of sheer terror, looked up at the man. "Xe… Xehanort… why?"

He gave an evil smirk and threw some objects at the child's feet. The little girl screamed. One was the gem from her mother's dress and the other was her father's katana, both were covered in blood. "They fought bravely but alas, they are no more. As for you, Princess, I am still wondering what exactly to do with you."

"Mommy… Daddy…" she whispered, tears falling from her indigo eyes. "Why?"

"Perhaps I should freeze you in time or lock you away until the time is right." This caught her attention. Kairi stood and stumbled towards the exit but some of the dark creatures blocked her path. The little girl stopped and turned around, staring up at the man. "No matter…" he reached down to grab the child.

"NO!" She fell back, trying to keep away. The man continued to reach for her.

As soon as his hand touched her, the pendant around her neck lit up. "What!" The little girl was surrounded with light; in a flash, she was gone.

* * *

The girl's eyes opened to see darkness. Her feet stood on a stained glass platform. It was colored pink, purple, yellow, and red. There were pictures of flowers and pink and blue ice cream bars. There were circles with pictures of people in them; there was her mom, dad, grandmother, Ansem, Lea, and the blue-haired girl who had saved her a year or two ago, Aqua. "Where am I?" Kairi looked down and saw her pendant glowing.

The voice of Aqua penetrated the darkness, "_One day when you're in trouble, the light within you will lead you to the light of another; someone to keep you safe._" A door appeared before the little girl.

Kairi felt drawn to it; she approached and pushed it open. A light shown out from within, blinding the girl.

* * *

"Hey! Are you ok?" The girl's eyes fluttered open. She could remember nothing, nothing except her own name… Kairi. Above her, two boys looked down in concern. "Are you ok?"

She stared at them; one boy had shining blue eyes and spikey brown hair, and the other had bright aqua eyes and short silver hair. The brown-haired boy smiled widely, "Hey! You're awake!"

"I'm gonna go get our parents." The other boy stood up and ran off.

The boy who was left looked at her kindly, "I'm glad you're ok. My name's Sora, what's yours?"

Kairi opened her mouth to answer, but a searing pain filled her head. She screamed and fell over; the last thing she saw was the silver-haired boy running towards her with four adults following behind…

* * *

I know it's sad, I don't like being evil but… yea. So this is Kairi's story and how she got to the islands. If you read my KH3 story, you can see the relationship between Lea and Kairi here.

Well, please review!

Next time… **Angel Heart (Riku's story)**


	5. Chapter 5

Hi everybody, hope you had a good Easter!

You ready for this… I cried while writing this one, so have some tissues ready.

I own nothing except my OC's:

Asher, Artemis, and Kikyo Tsuchi

* * *

**Angel Heart**

"Riku!"

"Uh… go away…"

"Riku!" Riku sighed as small hands began shaking his half-asleep form.

"Kiki… go away… I'm trying to sleep…"

The shaking only increased, "Get up Riku! You promised!"

Eight-year-old Riku Tsuchi opened one eye a crack, his eye focusing on a figure before him. "Kikyo, will you let me sleep for five more minutes?"

"No! Come on!" The white-haired five year old pulled on his arm, her ponytail bobbing as she pulled. Her shoulder less yellow and orange 'Luv Great Whites' shirt was right in his face.

Riku looked into her large aqua eyes and groaned, "Ok Kiki… I'm getting up."

"Yea!" she ran out the door and down the stairs.

* * *

Riku came down the stair into the living room. His father sat on the couch watching the news, running his fingers through his silver hair as he watched. "Dad, where's Kikyo?"

"She's waiting for you in the kitchen; your Mom's in there too. She should have breakfast ready so…"

"Riku! Asher! Breakfast!"

The father and son got up and ran into the kitchen where Kikyo and a white-haired woman awaited them.

"So," the father kissed his wife on the cheek, "What's for breakfast, Artemis?"

Artemis smiled, "How do waffles sound?"

"Yea!"

The small family gathered around the table. Kikyo stuffed her face and finished before anyone else; she pulled on her brother's arm, "Riku! Come on! Let's go!"

"Kikyo Ren Tsuchi," Asher scolded, "let your brother finish his breakfast first."

"Yes Daddy…"

Riku looked over at his sister and winked; he ate a bit quicker and finished swiftly. "All right, Kiki. Let's go!"

"Wait!" she dashed off, leaving her brother chuckling behind her. When she returned, she handed Riku something, "Big brother, could you please put it in for me?"

"Sure," He took the object; it was a hairclip. The clip was a red heart with two angel wings coming from behind it. He pinned it in her hair, "Now are you ready to go?"

"Yea!" She grabbed Riku's hand and pulled him out the door.

"Have fun you two!"

"Be careful!"

"We will!"

* * *

As the siblings walked towards the beach, Kikyo looked down at her great white shark shirt. "Hey Riku…"

"What?"

"Do you know how great whites hunt?"

"No…" Riku guessed this was coming; Kikyo never turned down a chance to spout one of her many great white shark facts.

"Well," the little girl's eyes shone with excitement, "a lot of times they go down deep and come up really fast from below their prey. Then they jump out of the water and catch it in their mouth. Isn't that cool!"

"Yea, that's cool!"

"Riku… did you know that great whites can eat a sea lion whole?"

"I did not…"

"Did you know that great whites eat about 11 tons of food a year?"

"No, I didn't…"

"Did you know…?"

"Riku! Kiki!" The siblings turned and saw their friends Sora and Kairi running towards them.

"Hi guys," Riku sighed, finally something to stop Kikyo from endlessly rambling on about sharks. "Are ya'll heading for the play island too?"

"Yep!"

From behind the two ran up three other girls, Selphie, Yuna, and Lulu. The trio gathered around Riku's little sister. "Hey Kiki!"

"You wanna come hang with us?"

"We're gonna go look at the reef!"

Kikyo giggled, "Sure!"

"Hey," Riku playfully complained, "I thought you wanted to spend time with me?"

"I will, but I wanna go look at the reef first." She went over to the three older girls and they headed towards the docks.

The three left followed behind slowly.

* * *

Sora, Riku, and Kairi sat on the beach of the play island while the four girls were out on the water looking down.

"Ok," Kairi said, "so how are we going to do this?"

"I saw we should build a raft."

Riku nodded, "A raft could work but we'd have to make it big enough for four people."

"Four?"

"Yes," the silver-haired boy nodded, "You, Kairi, me, and Kikyo. There is no way I'm leaving without my sister."

Kairi and Sora nodded understandingly, Riku hardly went anywhere without Kikyo. "Ok then, we need to…"

"SHARK!" The trio turned and saw a gray fin circling the girl's boat.

"Kikyo!" Riku ran and jumped in his boat; paddling frantically to reach them before things got worse; and they did…

The boat suddenly tipped over, dumping all four girls into the water with the shark still nearby. Lulu, Selphie, and Yuna climbed onto the top of the capsized boat. But, Kikyo surfaced a good distance from them.

"Kikyo! Hang on! I'm coming!" Riku rowed even harder, closing the gap between him and his beloved sister.

The girl smiled and began to swim towards him. "I'm coming big brother!"

Then, everything seemed to go in slow motion. Riku could see a gray shape coming up from the depths, right below his sister. Kikyo's words from earlier echoed through his mind, "_a lot of times they go down deep and come up really fast from below their prey. Then they jump out of the water and catch it in their mouth. Isn't that cool!_"

He reached out to Kikyo but could only watch as the scene played out before him. Kikyo reached out for him, but it was too late. Out of the water came a large gray creature, its large mouth and razor teeth rose up around the little girl. She flew up with the fish as the jaws began to close.

Riku reacted as quick as he could, swinging his paddle, catching the shark on the head. The jaws snapped closed around the little girl's legs. Her scream rang out, turning Riku's blood to ice. The shark fell back to the water with Kikyo.

The girl floated back up to the surface, the water around her turning crimson. The older boy reached down and pulled her out of the red water, into the boat. It quickly filled up with red blood that poured from what was left of Kikyo's legs.

"Riku…"

"Hold still, Kiki…" Riku took off his vest and wrapped the stumps of her legs to keep the blood contained. "Don't worry… I'm gonna get you help." He grabbed the paddles and began rowing with all his might to the main island.

"Riku…" Kikyo looked up at him, eyes full of pain and fear.

Her big brother couldn't bear to look at her bloody, hurting form as he rowed, "I'm here Kiki… you've got to stay with me, sister." He took a quick glance down at her face; her white hair stained pink by the bloody water. "Why don't you tell me about sharks… tell me something I don't know about them…"

"All right…" the girl closed her eyes but continued to speak, "Great white sharks like to eat leopard sharks…"

"Really? Ok, tell me something else." Riku continued to row madly, his muscles burning.

"Great white sharks can live up to 25 years…"

"That's cool," he looked and saw the shore drawing nearer, "Tell me more."

"Great white sharks can… they can… they can have scars on their nose. This… this shows that their prey fought back at one time."

"Really?" Riku turned and saw how close he was. His attention turned to the beach. "HELP! HELP! SHARK ATTACK! HELP!"

There were three men on the beach. At his cries, one ran to get help while the other two splashed into the water and pulled the boat to shore. They gently lifted the girl out onto the sand.

Riku knelt beside her, watching as the blood leaked onto the sand. He took her hand. "Hang on Kiki, the doctors are coming. You're gonna be ok…"

"Riku…" Kikyo gasped, her eyes growing dark. "Don't leave… stay here… I'm scared…" The little girl closed her eyes and relaxed. "Riku…" she reached up and pulled her hairclip out of her hair, "here… you can have my hairclip…"

"I can't take this, it's yours. You're gonna be ok…"

The little girl reached up and placed the clip in her brother's hand. "Ri… Rik… Riku… please… don't… don't let them… don't let them hurt the shark… it was just… just hungry… please don't… don't let them hurt it… promise me…"

"I promise…" He took her hand and placed it on his cheek, "but, you'll be able to tell them yourself."

"Ri… Riku…" the light faded from her eyes and her hand went limp in his.

He looked at her, the truth beginning to dawn upon him. "Kiki… Kiki… Kikyo! KIKYO!" He clasped her hand, "Wake up! Please wake up!"

Just then the paramedics arrived. One of them grabbed Riku by the shoulders lightly, "Come away, son. Let us do our job."

"No! I won't leave her!" The paramedic picked Riku up and carried him away, despite his protests.

The boy heard the medics exclaim, "She's unresponsive!"

"Get clear!" They brought out a defibrillator. Riku watched as his sister's chest rose up when they used it. Nothing…

"RIKU!" Sora, Kairi, and the three girls ran over from the docks. They stopped just in time to see the paramedics place Kikyo's body on a pallet and cover it with a sheet. "No…"

The silver-haired boy sat there for a while, too in shock to cry; he could only stare at the hairclip in his hand. He barely registered his own parent's voices as they approached. "Riku!"

"Riku!" His mother's arms wrapped around him, "we heard there was a shark attack, I'm glad you're safe."

Asher looked around, "Where's Kikyo?"

"Kiki…" his dull aqua eyes looked over at the cloth-covered body nearby.

His parents followed his gaze. Artemis saw the body and fell to the ground, "No! Please… don't be her! Don't be her!"

"It can't be…" Asher rushed forward; a few paramedics tried to keep him back, but the man shoved them aside. He pulled the blanket off the figure and saw the still form of his daughter lying there, covered in blood. "No… this can't be happening… it can't…" he fell to his knees, clutching the edge of the pallet.

Riku looked over at his sister, her pale face lying there in complete peace; he couldn't stand it anymore. He ran, through the town into the small forest nearby; he continued to run until he tripped over something. He hit the ground hard and knew no more.

* * *

Riku opened his eyes to see a room with white walls. Sitting nearby was Sora and Kairi; they were overjoyed to see him awake. "Riku!"

"Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital," Kairi explained, "When you ran off, Sora and I followed you. We found you knocked out on the ground. My dad brought you here; you've been knocked out for two days."

"Two days… and, Kikyo…?"

His two friends looked down, "She's gone…"

Sora stood up, "I'm uh, I'm gonna go get your mom." He walked out with Kairi behind him.

A moment later the door opened and Artemis came inside; she looked as if she hadn't slept in days, in truth she probably had not, with her daughter dead and her son in the hospital. "Riku…" she came over and hugged him tightly. "Are you ok?"

"It's… it's my fault Mom…" Riku hugged Artemis and began to cry, "It's my fault she's dead!"

"Riku, it's not your fault…"

"It is!" He screamed in anger at himself.

"No it's…"

"I was right there! If I hadn't let her go with Selphie… if I had only gotten to her faster… If I had gotten her here faster she would've lived! I couldn't save her, Mom! I… I wasn't strong enough to save her! She trusted me! She thought I was her hero! But, I couldn't save her!" his tears stained his mother's shirt as he cried.

Artemis shed her own tears, "I understand... but it's not your fault…" She looked over at Kikyo's hairclip, lying on the bedside table. "It's not your fault…"

"Mom… where's…?"

"Dad… he's making… funeral arrangements and then going out to hunt for that shark."

"Don't…" Riku hated this, "Kikyo's last request was that the shark would not be harmed… don't hunt it… as much as I want to see it dead… don't hunt it, for her…"

"I'll tell them…" She kissed her son on his forehead. "Now, you get some rest."

As she left, Riku laid back on the bed. He wept as every event rushed into his mind, his sister's face haunted his every thought.

* * *

(Two Days Later)

Riku sat on the front pew in the church. His sister's body lay in a coffin before them; her face was calm and pale. He looked at her face and choked back his tears.

"_I miss you, Kikyo,_" Riku closed his eyes, "_I'm sorry, I failed to save you. I wasn't strong enough to save you… but never again. I will never lose anyone again._" He opened his eyes again, the aqua orbs nearly devoid of emotion. "_I will not be weak, I refuse! I will grow stronger, I promise you Kikyo! I promise…_" Reached into his pocket and pulled out Kikyo's hairclip.

Sora and Kairi, sitting behind the silver-haired boy. They looked over his shoulder and saw the hairclip. Their friend's emotionless expression reached their eyes. "Riku," Sora whispered, "you ok?"

"Fine…"

"Riku…" Kairi sighed, "You don't look ok…"

"I'm fine…" His friends weren't convinced.

After the funeral, Riku walked home with his parents, his gaze cold and empty. Asher looked down at his son, "Riku, are you ok?"

"I won't fail again…"

"Riku?"

The boy was silent; he ran ahead to their house. Artemis looked at her husband, "Asher, I'm worried about Riku. He blames himself for her death. He's acting different already. I think… this might change him forever."

"I agree," her husband nodded, "I just hope this doesn't drive him to make a decision that he will regret…"

The two parents did not know how much he would truly be affected or the darkness that would rise in him from this event…

* * *

Gosh I hate this… being evil and all. I hope you guys enjoyed this one.

I'm sorry for doing this to Riku…

Next time… **Where Sky and Water Meet (Sora's story)**

{And the only happy one too}


	6. Chapter 6

Hey!

Who's ready for an actual happy story? This will be the only one…

There is one more chapter after this, so keep watch!

I would like to thank FinalFantasyCrazedGirl01 for favoriting and FinalFantasyCrazedGirl01 and attack on kronos for following!

I own nothing except for Levi Kumo, Marion Kumo, Isaac Mizu, and Talitha Mizu!

* * *

**Where Sky and Water Meet**

Six year old Sora walked downstairs, yawning and stretching. "Sora!" The little boy turned to see a woman with blue eyes and dirty blonde hair coming towards him.

"Morning Mommy!" The little boy gave her a huge grin.

"Sora, remember that girl you and Riku found?" The boy nodded, "Do you wanna go see her?"

Sora's blue eyes sparkled, "Yea!"

"Well, she was taken in by Mr. and Mrs. Mizu; they invited you and Riku to come over for a playdate with her."

"Riku's coming too?"

She shook her head, "He was going to but he got sick this morning, so it'll be just you and her."

"That's cool," The little boy blinked, "When are we gonna go?"

"After you get dressed and eat breakfast, we'll go." The little boy ran upstairs without a word. He came back down a few minutes later, dressed and with a backpack on his shoulder.

Sitting at the table was a man with spiky brown hair and dark blue eyes. "Whatcha got there, Sora?"

"I'm gonna bring some more toys for us to play with!"

"Levi," Sora's mother came in from the kitchen, "don't let me forget the cookies."

"I won't Marion."

"Cookies! You made cookies!?"

Levi chuckled at his son's enthusiasm, "Yep, Mom made them for you and the little girl."

"All right you two," Marion set some plates of eggs and bacon on the table, "eat quickly so we can head on over."

* * *

Sora always liked going over to the Mayor's house, Mrs. Mizu always had candy and sweets waiting for every child who wanted any. He and Riku would come over all the time and get some candy or cookies.

Levi looked down at Sora, "You seem excited about seeing her again."

"Yea! I just wanna know if she's ok."

"You're such a little gentleman."

When they reached the house, Levi knocked on the door. A woman opened the door; she had short black hair and hazel eyes. "Levi! Marion! I'm so glad you could make it, oh and hi to you too, Sora!"

"Hi Mrs. Mizu!"

"Wasn't Riku supposed to come as well?"

"Sorry Talitha," Marion sighed, "Artemis called me earlier and told me that Riku has a fever and can't make it."

"Oh, that's too bad. At least, Sora can play. Come on inside!"

The family walked inside; a man with short blonde hair came forward. "Levi! How are you?"

"I'm doing well, Isaac," Sora's father clasped hands with the mayor, "How are things in the world of politics?"

Isaac chuckled, "Tiring as usual… and how is your world in the land of doctors?"

"Tiring…"

"Oh," the mayor looked down at Sora, "So, you're here to play with our little girl?"

"Yes sir!"

Marion looked concerned, "How is she doing? Has she said anything?"

"Not really," Talitha sighed, "We only know her name and, according to the child psychologist, that's all she know too. He believes she went through a very traumatic experience before Riku and Sora found her. This would explain why she can't remember, because she doesn't want to remember."

"Poor thing…"

"What is her name?" Levi asked.

"Kairi…"

"Kairi," Sora smiled, "That's a pretty name!"

The adults all smiled at him. "She's upstairs if you'd like to go play. I'll show you." Isaac led the boy up the stairs and down the hall. They came to a door near the end of the hall; Isaac knocked, "Kairi, I brought a friend for you to play with!" He opened the door.

Sitting on the floor was the little red-haired girl. There were dolls all around her; her eyes looked up at them and the indigo orbs were cloudy and dull.

Sora entered the room with a huge grin. "Hi! Remember me?" Kairi didn't move, "Well, I'm Sora!"

"I'm gonna leave you two to play. If you need anything just holler." The man shut the door, leaving the two alone.

Sora sat down beside her, "So, what'd ya wanna play?"

Kairi said nothing, she just picked up one of the dolls and smoothed the hair. Sora looked around at the dolls; he always thought dolls were for girls but he was here to spend time with her.

His eyes brightened as he got an idea. He jumped up, Kairi's eyes following his every movement. Sora found some pink blocks in her room and used them to build a square building. He pulled a dragon toy out of his backpack and set it in front of the opening, he then grabbed a princess doll and put her in the building. Lastly he got a prince doll and gave him a pencil for a sword.

He looked at Kairi, who watched him silently, and smiled. Picking up the prince doll, he playfully made it wave the pencil around. "I am Prince Sora! I've come to save Princess… Kairi from the evil dragon!"

Sora grabbed the dragon and deepened his voice, "You will never save her! She's mine!"

Then, grabbing the princess doll, he made his voice higher, "Save me Prince Sora!" He looked up to Kairi, hoping for some reaction. She only stared at the ground blankly.

Using his normal voice, he asked, "Kairi?" Sora reached out and touched her hand, "You ok?"

As he touched her, a warm feeling of light rushed through him. Kairi's eyes brightened and the cloudiness vanished. Her pendant began to glow. They both stared at it; a voice spoke in Sora's head, "_You are the one… keep her safe…_"

The two backed away from each other. Sora shook it off and grabbed the prince doll again. This time, Kairi picked up the princess doll. "Don't worry, Princess Kairi! I'll save you!"

"Oh please help me…" Sora glanced up as Kairi spoke in a soft, quiet voice, "Save me Prince Sora…"

The boy smiled, finally a response. He picked up the dragon, "Be quiet Princess. I'm gonna eat you Prince Sora! You'll never save her!"

Kairi brightened a bit more, "Save me!"

"Don't worry Princess!"

The two began to play, every second, Kairi brightened more and more. After two hours, they were running around the room, smiling and giggling.

"SORA! KAIRI! LUNCH TIME!"

"Lunch!" Sora grabbed the girl's hand, "come on!" He noticed she stopped smiling and talking. "It's ok, let's go." She nodded slowly.

The two came down the stairs, hand in hand. "Oh, how cute!" Talitha smiled at the two.

"Come here," Isaac lifted Kairi into his arms; she tensed, not knowing how to react. "I hope you like peanut butter and jelly, Kairi." He set her in a chair.

Levi smiled to his son, "So, what have you two been doing?"

"We've been playing 'save the princess' with dolls!"

"Oh you have," Marion ruffled her son's hair.

Talitha looked at Sora, "Lots of kids like to play that here, but they play it in our backyard. Usually our Great Dane, Dante, is the dragon."

"Kairi! We should play that after lunch!"

To the surprise of her adopted parents, Kairi gave a nod.

* * *

(After Lunch)

Sora grabbed Kairi's hand, "Come on! Let's go play with Dante!"

"Wait…" the girl's quiet voice spoke, "let me get something…" she ran up the stairs to her room.

"Did she just speak to you?"

"Yes, Mrs. Mizu. She talks to me."

Kairi came bounding down the stairs; in her hands was the wooden sword from Sora's backpack, a king's crown, and a princess's tiara. "Let's go…"

The two children ran outside, the adults following. Talitha and Isaac had never seen Kairi like this, in fact they had never seen her truly react to anything at all. They sat on the porch and watched the children.

Sora put on the king crown and took the sword, while Kairi put on the tiara. The Great Dane sat in front of its doghouse, licking his silver and black-spotted coat. He looked up as Kairi came over and climbed over him, going into the doghouse.

Sora held up his sword and yelled, "I've come to save Princess Kairi from Dante the evil dragon!"

Dante yawned, which the children pretended was a roar. "Oh, please help me Prince Sora! Dante the dragon is gonna eat me!"

"I'll save you, Princess!" Sora went to the dog and pretended to hit him, but stopping inches from him. Dante didn't flinch, he just sat there, as if he had done this many times before.

After a few minutes, the dog reached over and caught Sora's sword in his jaws. The boy pulled, trying to get his sword back. Kairi called out, "Don't let him win, Prince Sora!"

The dog loosened his grip and Sora pulled out the sword, "Let's end this!" He jabbed the point of the sword into the ground right in front of Dante's flank. The Great Dane rolled over, playing dead. "I beat Dante the dragon! Sora raised his sword up high.

"Yea!" Kairi came out of the doghouse and hugged him, "You saved me Prince Sora!"

Neither of them noticed, Levi coming up behind them. He snatched up Kairi with a mock evil laugh. "Muahaha! I, Levi the giant have Princess Kairi! You'll never save her, Prince Sora!"

"Put me down! Save me Prince Sora!" Kairi cried out, though a smile decorated her features.

"Levi the giant," the boy pointed his sword at his dad, "Let Princess Kairi go!"

Sora's father ran back to the porch and handed Kairi to her father, "Hold on to her for me, Isaac."

"I will, Levi," Isaac wrapped his arms loosely around Kairi, tickling her at times as well.

Levi picked up a hollow, plastic bat, "If you want her, Prince Sora, you'll have to fight me!"

"I can beat you!" Sora began hacking at his dad with the wooden sword. The two danced around the yard, trying to hit one another. Eventually Sora stabbed upwards and caught his dad under the shoulder.

Levi grabbed the wooden sword like it had truly stabbed him, "No! I can't lose… no!" He fell down and laid on the ground.

"I win!" Sora took back his sword and ran to where Isaac still held Kairi. "Let her go!"

"I'd do as he says, Isaac."

"Marion's right, if Prince Sora can beat Levi the giant, he can certainly beat you."

Kairi's dad put on a scared face, "Oh no! Prince Sora don't hurt me. I'll let her go…" He released Kairi and she ran down to Sora.

"You saved me again, Prince Sora!" She smiled at him, "Now, there's something every princess does after a prince saves her."

"What?"

Kairi leaned in, but Talitha stopped her, "Kairi…" The woman tapped her cheek.

The little girl nodded before giving Sora a quick kiss on the cheek.

The boy jumped back, "EW! YOU KISSED ME!" Kairi just giggled as he continued to freak out.

"Hey," Kairi grabbed the sword and smiled, "Now it's my turn!"

"Your turn for what?"

"Now the Dragon has the prince and the princess has to save him."

"That's not how it goes," Sora pouted. Kairi frowned, her big indigo eyes shining as she pouted. The little boy stared at her eyes before giving in, "Ok…"

* * *

For hours the two played, running around while the parents either watched or joined in the games. The sun began to sink towards the horizon, as the two children finally tired of their play.

They laid on the ground talking as their parents came up. "Sora, time to go home."

"Noooo!" Sora yawned, "I don't wanna go…"

Levi picked him up, "Don't worry, we'll come back tomorrow and you can play again."

"Ok…"

Kairi was now in Isaac's arms as they entered the house. The family headed for the door and Kairi called in a sleepy voice, "Bye Sora *yawn* see you tomorrow…"

"See you *yawn* tomorrow, Kairi."

As the Kumo family walked towards their house, Sora, half asleep, said, "Mommy… I like Kairi…"

* * *

*fangirl squee!* Oh the cute!

I loved this chapter!

Please review!

Next time… **Family in Flames (Lea's Story)**


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